Viewers have lashed out at SBS’s coverage of the World Cup and blasted the broadcaster for not using the latest and crispest technology to show matches in ultra-high resolution.
According to SBS, every live match of the tournament is being streamed in full 1080p HD [high definition] at up to 4.5 megabits per second on its On Demand streaming service.
Streamed matches are broadcast at 25 frames per second, with free-to-air games upping that to 50 frames per second.
However, many viewers believe the picture quality is sorely lacking to the point that they are looking for alternative ways to view the matches, with some even complaining that some of the vision looks pixelated.
‘I keep checking if my glasses are dirty because of how terrible this #worldcup feed is. How are we not even getting 1080p in 2026 for the biggest sporting event!?’ one wrote on X.
‘We have self driving cars but still being served up a 20+ year old resolution,’ another commented.
Pictured: A still taken from SBS’s free-to-air coverage of the World Cup, which has been the subject of complaints from fans who have blasted the picture quality
Viewers who are using the broadcaster’s SBS On Demand streaming service are also fed up with not being able to view the matches in ultra-high resolution
Complaints like this one aren’t hard to find online
‘The fans in the background look so pixelated,’ wrote a third.
‘How in 2026 am I still watching the World Cup on 1080p. Pick up your game @SBS it’s shocking to watch,’ another commenter said.
When one viewer asked, ‘Is it just me, or is the SBS HD coverage not very HD?’ they got the reply, ‘It’s not just you. It’s horrendous!’
‘The quality of the World Cup stream is a joke. I’m getting better quality using a VPN and the BBC. We’re in 2026 sbs,’ wrote another.
Other football fans tried to explain why the vision appeared to be down on quality for some.
One said modern TVs often smooth out 1080p footage to provide a smooth frame rate, but that results in a ‘softer, fuzzier image’ on free-to-air.
Another wrote that Australian free-to-air networks rely on technology that isn’t designed to support broadcasts in 4K resolution.
Others blamed the feed that is being supplied to SBS by the host broadcasters in America.
Pictured: More of the complaints from viewers, many of whom said they were trying to find alternative ways of viewing the action
SBS is covering all 104 matches at the World Cup, with huge ratings expected for the Socceroos’ games (pictured, Australia’s Tete Yengi playing Switzerland in a warm-up)
The broadcaster has also been slammed for running non-Australian commentary on matches.
‘I just don’t understand why we don’t have an Australian panel dissecting the game like in every other World Cup. It’s the middle of the day – surely SBS can get someone,’ one fan wrote.
‘Wait so are we gonna have US commentary on SBS for the entire tournament?’ another asked.
‘Please @SBS end our suffering. If you can organise a mid-comp rights transfer with Optus in 2018, then you can get Americans off commentary, nobody deserves this,’ another said.
However, other viewers defended SBS.
One pointed out that it would be prohibitively expensive for the network to arrange its own commentary for all 104 matches at the Cup.
‘Credit to SBS. There would be few countries in the world where one can watch the whole World Cup for free,’ another wrote.
Before the Cup began, SBS director of television Kathryn Fink announced the network had made ‘significant upgrades’ since it broadcast the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Those include a live restart function that lets viewers rewind to the kickoff in every match, or go back and replay a goal or major development on the field.
An SBS spokesperson told the Daily Mail, ‘SBS is proud to bring the 2026 FIFA World CupTM live and free to all Australians, broadcast in 1080p HD picture quality because this is the most accessible for free-to-air viewing nationwide.
‘Picture quality while streaming may be affected by an individual’s own internet connection and viewing device.’
